Discover the rainforest, volcanoes and coastline of captivating Costa Rica

Treat this sample itinerary as inspiration, your trip can be created specifically for you by one of our Tailormade experts and we will help you choose how you wish to travel through this destination. Maybe add in an extra day’s sightseeing, take time out to relax or we can change accommodation to your budget. It will be your adventure, your way!

With almost a quarter of its surface area covered by national parks, Costa Rica is a paradise for the nature lover, and it’s possible to travel from sweeping sandy beaches to lush rainforest, active volcanoes, cloud forest and high mountain peaks in a few hours. This rich diversity of ecosystems means there is huge variety in the flora and fauna, with over 900 species of birds recorded, as well as manatees, turtles, crocodiles and poison arrow frogs in the wetlands. As well as its natural wonders, it’s also the perfect destination for lovers of adventure sports, with rafting, zip-lining, biking, kayaking and trekking all on offer. When this is coupled with friendly people and comfortable yet rustic lodge accommodation, you have all that’s required for an unforgettable holiday for all ages.

Responsible Travel

At Exodus we believe in the power of Responsible Travel.

Every time we travel, we are part of a global movement that creates jobs, builds more sustainable societies, encourages cultural understanding and safeguards common natural and cultural heritage. To learn more about what Responsible Travel means to Exodus click here…

Itinerary

Day 1

Day 2

Today you will visit Tortuguero National Park. Accessible only by boat or light aircraft, Tortuguero's vast network of waterways, canals and swamps are remarkably tranquil, unspoilt and devoid of noise pollution.

Accommodation: Pachira Lodge

Meals included:
Breakfast

Day 3

Tortuguero is probably most famous as a nesting site for the endangered Green turtle, which can be seen arriving onto the beach to lay eggs from late July to October (as part of an optional excursion). Hawksbill, Loggerhead and Giant Leatherback turtles also nest in this region, and during November to January baby turtles start to hatch and make their way towards the ocean.

Day 6

Arenal Volcano is an active andesitic stratovolcano in north-western Costa Rica around 90 km northwest of San José, in the province of Alajuela, canton of San Carlos, and district of La Fortuna. The Arenal volcano is a 1,633 meters (5,300 feet) high mountain, which is perfectly conically shaped with a crater of 140 meters.

Day 8

Because of its high altitude (1440mts/4662ft. above sea level), Monteverde is in no short supply of rainclouds. It rains consistently here and the humidity is what gives life to the splendid natural surroundings. The moisture often takes the form of mist and gets caught in the upper branches of the huge trees, dripping down on the ground. This condition gives life to a complex and extensive ecosystem, one that is the home to 400 species of birds, 100 species of mammals, and tens of thousands insect species. In terms of flora, you will find 2500 species among these forests, among which 420 are orchids alone.

Accommodation: Monteverde Cloud Forest Lodge

Meals included:
Breakfast

Day 9

Today have some fun at the Sky Adventures Park, an aerial amusement park in the cloud forest with sky tram & 8 ziplines amid teeming wildlife & plants. Later you will also visit the Butterfly Garden before returning to the lodge.

Day 12

Transfer back to San Jose and enjoy the rest of the day at your leisure.

San Jose, Costa Rica’s capital, sits in the Central Valley region with the Talamanca Mountains to the south and volcanoes to the north. The city is distinguished by its Spanish colonial buildings, like the ornate, neoclassical National Theatre of Costa Rica overlooking downtown’s Plaza de la Cultura, a popular gathering spot. Below the plaza, the Pre-Columbian Gold Museum displays hundreds of gleaming artifacts.

Accommodation: Park Inn by Radisson

Meals included:
Breakfast

Day 13

Essential Info

Visas

Costa Rica

Holders of British, US, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand and most EU passports can enter Costa Rica for a stay of 90 days without a visa. Proof of onward travel may be required when entering Costa Rica - we suggest you take a print out of your flight details in case officials ask to see them.
All passengers flying via the USA will have to clear immigration during transit. Prior to travel you must apply for an Electronic Travel Authority (USD14) under the Visa Waiver Programme. Please see www.exodus.co.uk/USVisa for more information. If you are not a UK citizen please check with your local U.S. Embassy.

Vaccinations

Costa Rica

The risk of malaria is slight but you may wish to consult your GP or travel health clinic for further advice.

Dengue fever is a known risk in places visited. It is a tropical viral disease spread by daytime biting mosquitoes. There is currently no vaccine or prophylaxis available for Dengue, and therefore the best form of prevention is to avoid being bitten. We recommend you take the usual precautions to avoid mosquito bites.

Zika fever is a mosquito‐borne viral disease and a known risk in places visited on this trip. There is currently no vaccine or prophylaxis available and therefore the best form of prevention is to avoid being bitten. We recommend you take the usual precautions to avoid mosquito bites. The symptoms and impact of the disease is not serious, but a significant risk to foetus development has recently been highlighted. Therefore, if you are pregnant, or planning to become pregnant you should seek additional advice from a health professional.

Eating and Drinking

All breakfasts included

Weather

Costa Rica is located 10º north of the equator and has a tropical climate. The average temperature range is 10ºC - 13ºC in the highlands, and from 22ºC - 26ºC in the lowlands. There is a rainy season from May to November when there are daily downpours, though these are usually quite short and there is still plenty of bright sunshine, so midsummer is not necessarily a bad time to go. December to April is the driest time of the year but you should still expect some rain.

Costa Rica

Is this trip for you?

There’s a world of life-changing experiences out there, and all our trips are hand-crafted to showcase the best, wherever you’re headed. But what happens if you want to take a detour? Linger a while longer? Or want something completely unique to you? With Exodus’ Tailormade Adventures we can tailor almost any holiday to suit you, creating a bespoke adventure. Every element can be tailored to suit your requirements: we can sort flights and hotel upgrades, extra nights, regional departures, beach extensions, stop overs and more.

Accommodation

Tailormade Accommodation

Whether the destination is more important than the accommodation, or you would like to overnight in comfort, our Tailormade team can offer a wide variety of accommodation options from camping and village houses, to some of the finest hotels around. We do this so we can offer accommodation to suit every budget. The team will listen to your requirements to insure we find the right accommodation to suit you.

Reviews

WUC171115 Costa Rica

A superb comprehensive magical not so mystery tour of fabulous Costa Rica with Johnny Villalobos as our tremendous could not do enough for us guide and super driver Wilmer too.Small party of 13 of which at least over half were infectious bird lovers that could not fail to inspire all of us. Well planned and very well managed throughout. Sensible to have two nights at each location... we could settle and become at ease and accustomed to each location and take the early morning start schedule in our stride.Great overnight stay locations with spacious accommodation and all services. Only a few 'dodgy' but usually ease of use loos. Great beds. Very good meals.Would have liked a bit more of an adventurous volcano trip to satisfy my 'exploration adventure' gene but ideal for my wife !!! whose gene is more dormant.Well planned superbly executed and managed and sorry it had to end.If we had known of Costa Rica's adoration of all things Christmas we would not have stocked up at Aldi before we went.

What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

Most 'wow' moment the eventual Quetzal bird sighting... two males competing for one female in one tree some 60ft from us.Priceless

What did you think of your group leader?

Johnny Villalobos was unquestionably dedicated far beyond any reasonablecall of duty. Leader of the year material and faultless in every single way.Outstanding and inspiringly informed and informative. Clearly a great lover of birds but demonstrated an infectious love of his country that we easily and justifiably 'caught' too.

Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

Good walking shoes/boots but no need to go over the top. Good anorak style waterproof.Good bird watching binoculars.Hand sized effective torch.For good bird photos bring a 'good' camera.Alarm waker-up in kit as you'll have some early starts.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Just really fabulous in every way... thank you. Finally if possible avoid British Airways... it might be flying the flag but they are a tired line and do the flag no justice at all.. just not up to the long haul task other than bare minimum and pretty basic food.... cramped seating that was reminiscent of Monarch trips from Luton BUT did best Kenya Airways to Nairobi that I have experienced !!!

Dates & Prices

Your Tailormade adventure starts here!

Send us your requirements and we will create your bespoke itinerary just for you. To speak to one of our dedicated tailormade team, simply enter your details below and tell us when it’s convenient for you.

Your Tailormade adventure starts here!

Send us your requirements and we will create your bespoke itinerary just for you. To speak to one of our dedicated tailormade team, simply enter your details below and tell us when it’s convenient for you.

An overview of flight options

Exodus is committed to making joining our tours as easy as possible, wherever you live. We generally only block book seats from London, but this certainly does not mean that you need to fly from there. Depending on the route and airlines available, there will usually be various options available for those who want to fly from their local airport.

This page aims to provide a useful overview of the options available to our clients. However, the best flight arrangements should be tailored to your personal requirements, so please contact our Sales team for expert advice.

What kind of options do I have ?

1. We can book for you: Flights from anywhere in the world - not via London

Depending on the route, this may be direct or via an overseas hub like Amsterdam, the Middle East or elsewhere. On short haul routes there may be direct flights with low cost airlines, charter flights or scheduled airlines. Exodus can book most, but not all, of these for you. The most appropriate airline may be different to that which we use for the group flight from London, but many people now travel on different airlines and meet up with their fellow passengers at the destination.

Pros

Cons

May be the most direct route

Often the extra fare compared to the London flight is minimal.

As you will be in the hands a single airline for your entire journey, the airline will be responsible for your bags and your connections.

You may not be able to join the group transfers. However, we can usually arrange private transfers, or book your flights to try and coincide with the group transfers. See notes on transfer arrangements below.

2. We can book for you: Connecting flights from your local airport to London

Exodus can book connecting flights to London so you can join the group flight there. Connecting times will be followed according to airline advice, or as requested by clients. There are two types of fares we can use for this option: a 'through-fare' or a 'published fare'.

a) A 'through-fare' is where you will be in the main airline's care throughout. You change planes, but your bags are checked all the way through to your final destination.

b) A 'published fare' ticket is completely seperate from your onward ticket from London. It is usually cheaper than a through-fare but will need to be paid for and issued as soon as it is booked. This can be a problem if your tour has not yet reached minimum numbers. On 'published fares' neither airline is aware that you have connecting flights, so Exodus is responsible for timing your connection, not the airlines involved. The tickets are also usually non changeable and non refundable.

Pros

Cons

Depending on the fare type, Exodus or the airline is responsible for flight connections.

Through fare tickets can be expensive.

On a published fare, tickets must be issued immediately; tickets on published fares can be very difficult to change if onward flight times change; bags are not checked though to your final destination.

Published fares are non-refundable.

3. Booking some or all of the flights yourself

You can also book connecting air travel yourself, either to London, or all the way to the start point. There may be certain airlines or routes we don't have access to, so this is always an option. However, if you make your own travel arrangements you become liable for any delays, cancellations or missed connections, and Exodus is not required to offer refunds if you have trouble reaching the start of your trip.

Pros

Cons

You might find cheaper fares, or routes not available to Exodus.

You are responsible for any delays or missed connections, and the cost of the tour is not protected should you miss your flight be cancelled.

Notes on transfer arrangements

Sometimes it is possible to travel on a different airline to the group flight from London. Where this is the case, we need to think about ensuring you meet up with the group with minimum extra cost and hassle.

On certain trips, it is easy to arrive on a different flight and still meet the group at the hotel with time in hand. We can usually arrange private transfers (at extra cost) or offer advice on taking a taxi to the start hotel.

On other trips (especially in Europe), the transfer meets the group flight and then travels some distance to the first night's accommodation. Where this is the case, our Sales team will try to arrange flights that arrive before (and depart after) the group. However, we do have to make it clear in your final documentation that if your flights are delayed, the transfer cannot wait for you. While Exodus or our local operators will do what we can to help you reach the start point of the tour, any additional costs must be paid by the client.

Many of the flights and flight-inclusive holidays on this website are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. But ATOL protection does not apply to all holiday and travel services listed on this website. Please ask us to confirm what protection may apply to your booking. If you do not receive an ATOL Certificate then the booking will not be ATOL protected. If you do receive an ATOL Certificate but all the parts of your trip are not listed on it, those parts will not be ATOL protected. Please see our booking conditions for information, or for more information about financial protection and the ATOL Certificate go to: www.atol.org.uk/ATOLCertificate If you book arrangements other than an ATOL protected flight or a package holiday, the financial protection referred to above does not apply. Our ATOL number is 2582 and our ABTA number is Y0751.

The Foreign & Commonwealth Office and the NHS has up-to-date advice on staying safe and healthy abroad. For more on security, local laws, plus passport and visa information, see https://travelaware.campaign.gov.uk